Oil well stuffing box packing guard



Feb. 20, 1968 D. L. HALE 3,369,818

OIL WELL STUFFING BOX PACKING GUARD Filed March 2, 1964 A 27 FIG. I i 5 :26 Mull 25 i 1 35 2| w r; j a Q 5 w 37%; 3 i E ii i E 2 5 4|\%: T "*ml 1 1 E 29 l l E l I? 1 22 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

DICK L. HALE A TTORNE Ys.

United States Patent 3 369 818 OIL WELL STUFFIN G B 0X PACKING GUARD Dick L. Hale, Covington, Okla., assignor to Sinclair Research, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 348,381 4 Claims. (Cl. 277105) This invention is an apparatus for preserving Packing subjected to high, longitudinally-compressive forces, for instance, as in oil well stufiing boxes.

In oil well pumping operations, a stuffing box placed at the top of the well to prevent leakage of oil around the reciprocating polish or pumping rod. These stuffing boxes ordinarily contain relatively expensive packing, e.g. rubber rings, which contacts the polish rods. Leakage of fluid, therefore, is prevented by compressing the packing so that it exerts a pressure against the rod and the sides of the enclosing stufling box. The packing rings are tightened down periodically so that the seal may be maintained. Periodically during the pumping operation, the polish rod must be disconnected from the pumping unit e.g. the walking beam, so that repairs or adjustments may be performed. When such a disconnection occurs, the rod string is rested upon the stuffing box thereby imparting an enormous longitudinally-directed, compressive force or pressure upon the packing due to the Weight of the long polish rod or pumping string. Such weightimay ruin the packing, rendering it useless and therefore requiring that new packing be inserted into the stuffing box before the pumping operation can be resumed.

This invention provides a solution to this problem. The operator may, by the practice of the present invention, use the packing for extended periods until it becomes worn out by ordinary polish rod function. In the usual form, the packing is subjected to a suflicient pressure which compresses it and forces it against the polish rods by means of a vise-like mechanism. More specifically, the body in which the packing is placed and the follower which compresses the packing, when forced down, are connected by means of a plurality of bolts which are inserted through the respective flanges of the body and the follower. By tightening the bolts, the packing is compressed and thus is forced against the polish rod. The device of the present invention may be placed around the bolts and between the flanges to hold the flanges apart a suflicient distance so that the packing is not unduly compressed and ruined when an enormous pressure is exerted on the follower.

The invention employs at least a pair of hollow, elongated, rigid members adapted, e.g. slotted on one side, so that they can be reasonably placed between the flanges of the Stuffing box body and the follower and around the primary bolts of the stuffing box. The slots extend vertically along the entire length of the cylinders and completely across the wall of the cylinders. The length of the rigid members may be determined by the size of the stufling box and the distance which the flanges of the box body and follower must be held apart without damaging the packing. Conveniently, the rigid members of the invention are hollow cylinders and may be secured to each other by a flexible coupling means, e.g. a chain, so that the pair are always kept together.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the drawing wherein FIGURE 1 is a side elevational, quarter section view of a stufling box equipped with the device of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3, is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

It will be noted in FIGURE 1, a stuffing box 10 around reciprocating polish rod 11 is shown equipped with the slotted, rigid cylindrical members 13a and 13b. The cylinders are secured to each other by coupling means, e.g. chain 15, broken away in part. The cylinders are equipped with handles 16a and 16b to which the separate endsof the chain are attached.

The stufling box 10 is comprised of the cylindrical body 17' having outwardly extending, opposed flanges 19. The lower end of box 10 is threaded at 20 to be connected with the well head (not shown). Four split cone packing rings 29 are placed between the polish rod 11 and the inside of body 17, the lower packing ring being seated on shoulder 22.

The lower end of sleeve ring or lower gland 21 is placed within body 17 and is held in compressive position with respect to the packing by oppositely-positioned bolts 37 and their cooperating flanges 41 and 43 on body 17 and gland 21. (Only one set of flanges and its bolts being shown.)

Follower ring 23 having the lubrication gland 26 has its lower end within lower gland 21 and the follower is held in compressive manner against the packing 29 by primary bolts 33 and 35 extending between aligned flanges 25 of the follower and flanges 19 of the body 17. In the upper part of follower 23 is another packing ring 31 which prevents leakage of any lubricant in the gland 26. The lubrication gland packing 31 is also shown as a split cone packing ring. Lubricant gland cap 27 is secured to follower 23 as by bolts or threads (not shown). The packing 29 may be adjusted, i.e. compressed or relieved, by tightening or loosening primary bolts 33 and 35 and bolts 37.

When polish rod 11 and its extending oil well pumping rod and pump (not shown) are to be supported only by stop 41 resting on cap 27 of stufling box 10, the slotted cylinders 13a and 1312 are placed around primary bolts 33 and 35. The polish rod which is removeably connected to a walking beam or other reciprocating power source (not shown) is then lowered to resting position to exert longitudinally-compressive force on the packing 29 until flanges 25 rest on cylinders 13a and 13b which in turn rest on flanges 19 thereby relieving packing 29 of the tremendous pressure imparted to it by the weight of the polish rod string. When the pressure is released, the slotted cylinders are removed and the packing pressure is regulated, if necessary, by adjusting the bolts 33, 35, 37 and the bolt opposite to 37 (not shown).

It can be seen from the preceding that an apparatus for protective packing in stufiing boxes when the weight of, for instance, a rod string is rested thereon has been shown. The present invention therefore solves the problem presented by such a contingency and enables the operator to use the stufling box packing until proper time for replacement due to frictional wear.

It is claimed:

1. A stufling box including means for preserving packing rings in the stufling box upon the exertion of a longitudinally-directed compressive force which consists essentially of an elongated hollow stufling box body, a reciproeating member slideably arranged within the body, packing means disposed within said body between the body and the reciprocating member to seal against fluid flow through said body, a sleeve ring partially within said body, means for holding said sleeve ring compressively against the packing means, a hollow follower ring surrounding and spaced from said member arranged within the sleeve ring, said follower ring having one end bearing against said packing means and containing lubrication gland means adjacent the member, cooperating flanges on the other end of said follower ring and on said body, a plua rality of spaced connecting bolts extending between said cooperating flanges and serving to compress said follower ring against said packing means, cap means for said lubrication gland means secured to said follower ring, and removable, rigid members adjacent said connecting means and between said flanges to prevent excessive compressive force on said follower ring from being applied to said packing comprising a plurality of elongated, slotted cylinders placed around the bolts which bolts, when tightened, compress the flanges and thus the packing, the slots of said slotted cylinders extending vertically along the entire length of said cylinders and completely across the walls of said cylinders.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein there are two of said elongated, slotted cylinders secured to each other by a flexible coupling means, the slots of which cylinders extending vertically along the entire length of said cylinders and completely across the wall of said cylinders.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the flexible coupling means comprises a chain.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said packing means includes a plurality of conical packing rings placed between the reciprocating member and the inside of said body and seating on said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 412,874 10/1889 Chaddack 277-177 486,256 11/1892 Leehey et al 85-51 737,194 8/1903 Armstrong 85-51 1,293,670 2/ 1919 Baxter 248-351 1,921,542 8/1933 Sann 248-351 2,056,687 10/1936 Moseley 277-105 2,291,170 7/ 1942 Moths 248-351 2,462,662 2/ 1949 Niceley 248-351 2,804,766 9/1957 Landman 248-351 FOREIGN PATENTS 123,719 2/ 1947 Australia. 520,908 7/ 1953 Belgium.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STUFFING BOX INCLUDING MEANS FOR PRESERVING PACKING RINGS IN THE STUFFING BOX UPON THE EXERTION OF A LONGITUDINALLY-DIRECTED COMPRESSIVE FORCE WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF AN ELONGATED HOLLOW STUFFING BOX BODY, A RECIPROCATING MEMBER SLIDEABLY ARRANGED WITHIN THE BODY, PACKING MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BODY BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE RECIPROCATING MEMBER TO SEAL AGAINST FLUID FLOW THROUGH SAID BODY, A SLEEVE RING PARTIALLY WITHIN SAID BODY, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SLEEVE RING COMPRESSIVELY AGAINST THE PACKING MEANS, A HOLLOW FOLLOWER RING SURROUNDING AND SPACED FROM SAID MEMBER ARRANGED WITHIN THE SLEEVE RING, SAID FOLLOWER RING HAVING ONE END BEARING AGAINST SAID PACKING MEANS AND CONTAINING LUBRICATION GLAND MEANS ADJACENT THE MEMBER, COOPERATING FLANGES ON THE OTHER END OF SAID FOLLOWER RING AND ON SAID BODY, A PLURALITY OF SPACED CONNECTING BOLTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID COOPERATING FLANGES AND SERVING TO COMPRESS SAID FOLLOWER RING AGAINST SAID PACKING MEANS, CAP MEANS FOR SAID LUBRICATION GLAND MEANS SECURED TO SAID FOLLOWER RING, AND REMOVABLE, RIGID MEMBERS ADJACENT SAID CONNECTING MEANS AND BETWEEN SAID FLANGES TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE COMPRES- 